UAE diplomat: Religious leaders must unite to avoid climate catastrophes

An Emirati diplomat and President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Jarwan, has called on participants of the Global Summit of Religious Leaders to join forces in combating climate change to prevent further catastrophes.

Al-Jarwan made this statement on November 6 during a panel discussion on the second day of the Baku Global Summit of Religious Leaders held under the slogan “World Religions for a Green Planet”, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

"Our planet is facing threats that have shaken the foundations of peace and stability. We must act urgently, calling on all stakeholders to unite. Aggression and acts of violence demand that we come together in the fight for peace. We call for cooperation: when the words of religious leaders are united, they can contribute to strengthening peace based on tolerance and mutual understanding," he said.

Al-Jarwan also highlighted that the Baku summit serves as an example of how decisive actions should be taken in the fight against climate change.

"I express my gratitude to Azerbaijan for organizing today’s event and wish the country’s government success at the upcoming COP29 climate conference," he added.

Notably, the summit is taking place as part of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).

The two-day summit brings together nearly 30 leaders from world and traditional religions, heads of prominent religious centers, including patriarchs, officials from the Vatican and Al-Azhar, and notable religious and public figures from various continents and faiths. Representatives from 55 countries and 30 international organizations are attending, including state, academic, religious figures, and media representatives.

The summit participants will also visit the Azerbaijani liberated territories on November 7 to familiarize themselves with the Azerbaijani realities, including the acts of ecocide, urbicide and culturcide committed by Armenia in these areas.

By Khagan Isayev